I learned a lot from this book. India is an amalgam of nations inside one country. It is difficult to generalize about investing in India but there are a few themes to follow.

Most companies in India have a dominant shareholder, or family of shareholders. ?As such, though there are some companies like this in the US, the first prism you view any Indian company through is how they treat outside passive minority shareholders, particularly foreign ones. ?If they constantly give minority shareholders the short end of the stick, no matter how attractive the investment, avoid them.

Analysis of corporate governance is paramount, because it is very difficult to take a company over in a hostile manner. ?Assume that the present management will never be changed. ?Does the company still look cheap if the value -destroying management team will remain there?

Analyze capital allocation as well. ?If management?acts like value maximizing businessmen, it could be a good company to invest in. ?If not, avoid.

Structure of the Book

The book is a slow ramp up as far as business goes, talking about culture, politics, economy, and financial structure, before really digging into investing. ?These are good things to learn about, but the amount of time the book dedicates to making practical investment decisions in India is maybe 25% of the book.

The Main Problem

After you read this book, you will realize that without detailed local knowledge, you don’t stand a chance of investing in public Indian companies directly. ?As such, the book is of limited value to most people. ?So, though it is a good book, you probably would not benefit from reading it, aside from learning about Indian culture and government. ?You would have to build up a lot of knowledge about the Indian families who run public corporations in India — which ones are favorable to outside passive minority investors, and which are not.

Aside from that, they mention the website for the book, but it is just a collection of documents for the companies mentioned in the book.

Summary

India is an unusual country with many challenges. ?You will learn a lot about it and its economy reading this book. ?When you are done reading this book, you will likely conclude that investing in Indian companies is best left to local experts like the author. ?The book gives a good framework, but one embarking upon investing in India will need to develop knowledge of which Indian families treat minority shareholders fairly and who do not. ?If you want to, you can buy it here:?Investing in India, + Website: A Value Investor’s Guide to the Biggest Untapped Opportunity in the World (Wiley Finance).

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